Should You Self-Publish?

One of the most important decisions any writer may have to make is whether to self-publish his or her first book or take the time to look for a traditional publisher. While it may take time to find a traditional publisher that is willing to take a change on someone who does not yet have a track record to prove whether he can make money for the publisher, there are a few who are willing to take the chance. The problem is there are so few in today's market especially with the average publishing house only choosing a maximum of 20 new authors annually.

One problem that plagues new writers is they are too anxious and are not willing to wait. they automatically assume they will not be published by anyone because they have been rejected by the first four or five publishers they contacted. If you talk to any author who has books on the bookshelves they are likely to tell you they were rejected by more than five publishers before they found one that was willing to take a chance. In addition attempting to go in without an agent will create even more frustration.

Does that mean you should never self-publish unless you have tried the traditional route first? There are instances when self-publishing may be the only alternative such as if you have a book that falls into a niche market meaning one that only attracts a limited number of readers. A publisher is not going to take a chance on a book that will not appeal to a widespread audience, so these types of books are best served by the self-publishing industry. In some cases this may also include poetry anthologies as well.

At one time self-publishing was believed by many to be an industry that was only frequented by those who were not good enough to be accepted by traditional publishers. While that is still true in some cases, there is also the problem with market saturation: more authors are looking for publication than the publishers can include in their current publications. Some authors may wait two or three years to see their book in print because of the number of books a particular publishers has contracted to publish.

this information can cause an author who has never published a book to just decide from the start to self-publish without even trying. While the book may be good it will not necessarily create the potential for future traditional publication the author is expecting. One reason this happens is because in the haste to have their book published, many authors choose vanity or subsidy presses instead of self-publishing. True self-publishing means you do everything yourself, maybe even setting up your own UPC codes on your books. Vanity or subsidy publishing involves paying someone else indirectly for these services with no control over the costs. While the terms have become interchangeable, an author needs to know how to recognize the difference.

if you do decide to self-publish you need to make sure you research the company first--I recommend using Preditors and Editors, Writer Beware and Whispers and Warnings. While all three sites may provide some of the same information, you may find different companies on each one thus it's a good idea to check all three before you make a decision. In addition, if you see the same company listed in all three places it should provide a red flag for you.